The demand for setting up of women police stations in the district headquarters of Kothagudem and the famous temple town of Bhadrachalam is gaining ground with women’s organisations gearing up to renew their agitation for all-woman police stations.
Carved out of the erstwhile composite Khammam district in October 2016, the predominantly tribal populated district, is devoid of a women police station.
Though proposals were mooted by the police department to set up women police stations in Kothagudem and Bhadrachalam nearly three years ago, they remained unimplemented till date.
Despite construction of two new buildings, one in Kothagudem and another in Bhadrachalam for this, proposals to establish women police stations are held up for want of administrative sanction, sources said.
Having organised a slew of agitations for a women police station in the coal town of Kothagudem in the fag end of last year, the All-India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) district committee is all set to renew its agitation.
AIDWA activists staged a two-day hunger stir in Kothagudem recently in protest against the delay.
“It is imperative to establish women police stations in the district headquarters of Kothagudem and also in the famous pilgrim centre of Bhadrachalam,” said AIDWA district secretary Jyothi.
She added that aggrieved women find women police personnel more approachable to lodge their complaints and seek help.
“We will soon launch an intensive agitation across the district if the government failed to set up women police stations in Kothagudem and Bhadrachalam,” she said. SP Sunil Dutt said at least one to two women police constables were posted in all the police stations to promptly respond to complaints filed by aggrieved women.